Support for plants or flowers.



PATENTED JUNE 9, 1903.

L. F. LACY. SUPPORT FOR PLANTS OR FLOWERS.

APPLIGATION FILED FEB. 4; 1903.

n e W J u ti'orne UNITED STATES Patented June 9, 1903.

PATENT FFICE.

SUPPORT FOR PLANTS OR FLOWERS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 730,779, dated June 9,1903.

Application filed February 4, 1903. Serial No. 141,905. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LUKE F. LACY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Supports for Plants or Flowers, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in supports for plants or flowers.

Some of the objects of the invention are to provide a device which issimple in construction and which may be adjusted vertically according tothe plants or flowers it is to support; further, to provide a devicewhich may be readily put up.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which willsupport a plant in a vertical position and protect the stems or stalkfrom being broken by the wind or during sprinkling for the purpose ofWatering.

Vith these and other objects in view the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of thedevice. Fig. 2 is a plan view of same and shows the ring-support in theengaged position.' Fig. 3 is a plan view of the device, but shows thering-support open and disengaged from the vertical support. Fig. 4 isanother plan view of the ring-support and shows the ring contracted toreduce the size thereof, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the deviceemploying a round standard. Fig. 6 shows another form of loop for theband.

In the drawings, a designates a vertical standard, preferably of metal,having a crimped lower end a, which is to be driven into the earth. Thisstandard is preferably to be made of material having flat sides aalthough this is not essential. Supported on the standard is a wire bandwhich in the present instance is circnlarin shape; but thesame may be ofan oval, square, or other desired shape. This band is formed of a singlepiece of wire and is provided with a loop 0, which takes around thestandard, and a twisted portion d, which extends from the loop cin adirection parallel with the standard. At the end of the twisted portionthe strands of wire diverge, taking around the standard at 0ppositesides, then crossing each other at e in front of said standard, andthereby forming a clamping-loop f. The strands are then bent backward atg and again cross each other and form asecond loop 7t, and then eachforms a semicircular spring-section i, provided with loops j to engage arod, and the end of one of said circular sections is provided with ahook 7t, while the end of the other section is provided with an eye Z,which are adapted to engage one with the other, so that the twosemicircular sections will form the band for surrounding the plants. Itwill be seen that by crossing the wires of the band at e and forming thesecond loop 72, the first loopfis made to clamp the standard a when theends of the semicircular spring-sections are engaged. The loopsj may belike those shown in Fig. 1 or those in Fig. 6.

In practice it is often desirable that several of the bands be arrangedon each standard. This is especially true in supporting flowers, likeCarnations, having long stems, and it is also desirable at times,according to the character of the plant, that bands of different sizesor diameters be employed, a smaller one to fit snugly around the plantat a certain height and another of a larger size at a different height.When it is desired to reduce the size of a band for this purpose, one ofordinary size may be contracted, so that the hook 7r may be engaged inthe loop j and the band thereby retained in the contracted position, asshown in Fig. 4.

By employing a rectangular standard the band that surrounds the plant isprevented from turning or swinging in a horizontal plane.

At the present time some gardeners and florists employ round standards ain connection with various forms of devices for supporting plants andflowers, and in order to render my band applicable to these roundstandards, and thereby save the cost of purchasing new ones, either orboth of the loops j may receive a bar 112, as shown in Fig. 5,

which will serveto prevent the bands from swinging or turning around theround standard n.

It is obvious that the semicircular sections i may be provided with agreater number of loops, whereby a greater range of adjustment of thesize of the bandsmay be made.

Having thus described myinvention, what 'I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of a standard; a band comprising two semicircularsections provided at one side with means for engagement with each othersaid semicircular sections being crossed at the other side so as to forma clamping-loop to take around and clamp the standard when the sectionsare moved toward each other for engagement.

2. The combination of a standard; a band comprising two semicircularsections; means at the free ends of said sections for securing the sametogether, and a clamp device at the other end of said sections, saidclamp device being arranged so that the joining of the spring-sectionswill cause the clam p to engage the standard.

3. The combination of a standard; a band comprising two semicircularsections, the end of one section having a hook and the other sectionhaving a plural number of loops whereby the hook may be engaged ineither of the loops to adjust the diameter of the band and a clampdevice for securing the band to the standard.

4. The combination of a standard; a continuous wire having aloop, c, atone end which takes around the standard and also having a clamping-loopin line with said loop, 0, which also takes around said standard, theends of said wire forming semicircular spring-sections whereby when thesaid spring-sections are joined the clamping-loop will engage thestandard.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

LUKE F. LACY.

Witnesses:

CHARLES E. MANN, Jr., G. FERDINAND Voe'r.

